IN THIS ISSUE... Amy's Ramblings ESL Update Tip of The Month Volunteer Spotlight: Terry Gross April's Vignette: Ramona's Test Success Bits and Pieces About Us

Amy's Ramblings
Greetings Hogar volunteers! I hope you had a joyous Easter holiday season and were able to celebrate with family and loved ones. I bet you’re all as excited as I am to trade in the snow flurries for cherry blossoms, icy streets for green trees, and freezing temperatures for warm, breezy evenings. Spring is finally here!

Many programs are winding down and will hold their end-of-the-semester parties in May. For those of you who think that fall is just too far away and you can’t wait until then to get back into the classroom, boy, do we have an amazing offer for you! Both Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling and Hogar Hispano in Falls Church are holding summer classes and are in need of volunteers. Some volunteers are going on vacation to exotic locations such as Fiji, China, Brazil, and Florida. While I’m a little jealous, I’m mostly sad that they can’t join us for the summer session. If you would like to continue volunteering over the summer, because the thought of a week without ESL breaks your heart, please contact us!

I’d like to take the opportunity to welcome new staff member, Kristen Gasimov. Kristen, a former Peace Corps volunteer, comes to us from New York via Azerbaijan with tons of experience teaching English. We are delighted to have her! Please take a moment to read her bio below. Enjoy your spring festivities and as Robin Williams so wisely said, “Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"

Un abrazo,

Amy White
ESL Program Coordinator

---

emaradiegue@ccda.net.

Saturday, April 28, 10 am-12 pm
Teaching in the Multi-level classroom – Challenges and Solutions!
Trainer: Amy White
Everyone has come across this problem. Certain students are at a higher level than his/her classmates. They seem bored and there might be some eye rolling involved. Additionally, some students are at a lower level. A look of pure confusion is constantly on his/her face. Come to this training to find out how to deal with this common, but none-the-less aggravating, situation. We’ll discuss techniques, give you teaching tools and offer suggestions to help make sure your class is beneficial to everyone – even when they are at different levels.

---

New Staff at Hogar Hispano

Kristen Gasimov is the newest member of Hogar Hispano’s staff. She graduated in 2003 from Binghamton University in upstate N.Y with a degree in Spanish and subsequently joined the Peace Corps. Although she expected to spend the next couple years in a Spanish-speaking country, she was instead sent to the little known country of Azerbaijan (a former Soviet country that actually has more in common with Turkey than Russia.) Kristen found the Azeri people to be incredibly kind and hospitable and spent her next three years teaching English there. In addition to discovering the joy of teaching, Kristen also met her future husband while overseas. Once he received a visa, Kristen and her fiancé flew to New York where they adjusted to life with hot water, electricity, and a washing machine and got married. In March 2007 they moved to Falls Church and Kristen began her work at Hogar Hispano. Although her Spanish is quite rusty she can speak to you in Azeri and we are happy to have her with us!

Tip of the Month
Most of us are guilty of it and don't realize we’re doing it. Even after we realize it, we find it difficult to stop. What is this “it” I'm talking about?

The dreaded TTT or Teacher Talking Time.

Many of you may ask, “what's so bad about talking during class? I'm the teacher. I have to talk!”

Of course! Every teacher has to talk in class. However, in an ESL classroom it is extremely important to be aware of how much you speak, and what you say.

For example, during a lesson about body parts for a beginner class, you demonstrate that “head” is a part of the body. Then you remember sometimes it can mean the “head” of a company or organization. Oh! And to get a “head start” is to start before everyone else and so on. You pat yourself on the back for having informed them of every possible meaning of the word “head” they may ever encounter, but the students are now confused by all of the meanings of head. This is an example of bad TTT!

Fight the urge to explain every exception and all of the subtleties of the English language. We want our students to learn as much as possible in a short amount of time, but we don’t want to overload them with too much information. Stick to your lesson plan and beware of the tangent!

Another time that teacher talk commonly occurs is while giving explanations or definitions.

“Teacher, what does “fork” mean?”

You stop and ponder for a moment exactly what a fork is.

“Well, a fork is something that you use to eat. It's usually silver. It has some prongs, maybe four, at the end. Okay?” The class nods and you move on. But wait! Is your beginner class familiar with the word “silver”? Maybe. How about “prong”? Probably not. Do they really now know what a fork is?

Even the worst of artists can draw a basic fork on the board. Instead of throwing more words at your students, you can clearly define "fork" through a picture. Photos, objects (realia), body language- all of these are indispensable in the ESL classroom. Use a verbal definition as a last resort explanation and never be afraid of a little bit of silence in the classroom!

Finally, each class should include a period for students to practice production of the language they have just been presented with. Though there is much debate over how many times a language learner has to use a word in order to remember it, when a student is actively using a new word or grammar point that has just been presented, they are more likely to commit it to memory. Partner or group work gives each individual more time to speak and practice their English. One of the easiest ways to reduce teacher talk and increase the time students are speaking is through partner and group activities- whether more controlled (practicing dialogs, working on worksheets together) or open practice (role-playing, games).

As the teacher you are a model English speaker for your students. They look to you as an example of correct and coherent speech. You may be the only native English speaker they regularly interact with. A few clear and concise words will go far in aiding students' understanding and reducing the time you spend explaining material and giving directions will leave more time for the students to speak.

---

    Volunteer Spotlight: Terry Gross    

If you are walking the halls of the school at All Saints Parish in Manassas you will hear the sounds of ESL excitement emanating from Terry Gross’s class of beginner English learners. It is very apparent amid the clapping, cheering and laughing that Terry and her team teacher, Bill Marrin, have created a fun and dynamic classroom environment in which students are compelled to let their guard down and participate without restraint. Janet Smith, the volunteer coordinator for the Sunday ESL program at All Saints, says of her, “I believe it is her kind, patient, encouraging manner as a teacher that brings out the sincere commitment of her students to be in class every week. Terry has a gift for creating a deep sense of community and caring in her classes.”

Terry came to the United States from Korea with her family when she was in 6th grade. Like many of her students, she came to this country without knowing how to speak a word of English. Having received help from many people along the way, she now feels a sense of duty to give back to others. “I can sympathize with my students in their struggle to learn and I try to be sensitive to their needs,” says Terry. “It helps that I like my students. They are good, hard working folks who are trying to improve their lives. It’s easy to admire them for their commitment to learn.”

Outside of her time at All Saints, Terry helps her husband in his business, has taken professional photos at Redskins games, and loves to golf. She is an altogether delightful person and a pleasure to work with!

If you would like to spotlight a volunteer for their fantastic work please email

April's Vignette: Ramona's Test Success

After serving exquisite meals to George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, members of the Democratic and Republican Parties, Supreme Court Justices, and the State Department, Ramona Janicijevich has accomplished her most patriotic task of all: passing the US Citizenship exam.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Ramona had previously worked as a pastry chef at her brother’s restaurant/nightclub in Santo Domingo. At the suggestion of a cousin, she took a chance and left her expanding business interests behind to come to the United States through a childcare contracting program. They both came to work in Northern Virginia in 1984 and shortly thereafter her cousin moved to New York. Ramona settled down in the DC area, where she met her husband and was married at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in 1995.

Although Ramona had previously taken English classes at various colleges in the area, her work conflicts often caused her to discontinue them. She found Hogar’s classes more fitting for her schedule and enjoyed the interesting teachers and the relaxed format. She also noted that she improved her writing skills through various techniques used in the Citizenship class, such as sentence dictations.

Ramona felt proud of her work on the test. She answered each question correctly and quickly, showing she had a strong grasp on the information. Her proudest moment during the exam was when the examiner asked her one of the trickier questions: “If the President dies, and the Vice President dies, who will be the next President?” Without missing a beat she replied, “The Speaker of the House of Representatives.” Her examiner seemed pleasantly surprised that she knew the answer to a question that tends to stump others.

There are many reasons Ramona desired to become a US citizen. Through citizenship she can gain a higher security clearance, allowing her to work at even more exclusive government functions with her elite catering company. She also feels that the United States has offered her many opportunities and allowed her to provide for her family. Ramona wants to be a good example to others, and a good representative of the immigrant community. She hopes her US citizenship will help her to make many new friends and relationships with those who run our country. Ramona currently lives in the heart of Rosslyn, Virginia with her husband and son. She is surrounded by the Arlington National Cemetery, the Iwo-Jima Memorial, and the Pentagon and enjoys living in such a historic area. One of her favorite things about the area is watching the Marine Corps Marathon pass through these patriotic spots. To Ramona, these events and monuments are an important symbol of being an American citizen.

Citizenship classes are offered at Hogar Hispano’s office 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, 7:30-9:00pm. The classes combine both intermediate level English language lessons and information that the students will need to pass the citizenship test.

---

ssullivan@ccda.net.

Buy a Hogar Hispano tote bag:

Promote the Hogar Hispano ESL program and make a fashion statement at the same time! Tote bags are blue and black, and feature the Hogar Hispano logo. They're large enough to carry all of your teaching materials and more! The cost is $10 (plus $3 shipping). Send an e-mail to emaradiegue@ccda.net with your name and quantity needed or simply call 703-534-9805 x251.

Hogar Hispano is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to immigrants of all nationalities and religions. As part of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, Hogar Hispano helps newcomers achieve self-sufficiency and successfully integrate into American society by offering a wide range of services at little or no cost. Hogar Hispano offers English as a Second Language classes, legal counseling and representation, naturalization assistance, job placement services, and social services.


We want to know what you think, so write or call us! Thank you for reading!

Amy White ESL Coordinator awhite@ccda.net, x235	Sheila Sullivan Associate ESL Coordinator ssullivan@ccda.net, x238
Cindy Brown Associate ESL Coordinator cbrown@ccda.net, x239	Diana Gibson Associate ESL Coordinator dgibson@ccda.net, x250
Phil Spencer Associate ESL Coordinator pspencer@ccda.net, x243	Erin Maradiegue Associate ESL Coordinator emaradiegue@ccda.net, x251
Kristen Gasimov Associate ESL Coordinator kgasimov@ccda.net, x249

Hogar Hispano 6201 Leesburg Pike, Suite 307 Falls Church, VA 22044 703-534-9805 Fax: 703-534-9809 http://www.ccda.net/